Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603) Read about Elizabeth I

**** An indication as to the way the market has moved over the last few years for Elizabeth 1^st coinage. ****

Mestrelle’s Machine Pressed or “Milled” Silver Issue

“85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562.

This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage.”

Sixpences

WTH-8007: 1561 Elizabeth 1st Milled or Machine-Pressed Silver Sixpence. "Milled" coinage, initial mark Star, dated 1561, this being the very first dated Elizabeth 1st coin. Spink 2593. When you consider that “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage”, you gain an insight into just how rare all non 1562 milled coins are. I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced. Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561 (so here you see that the 1561 issue was certainly not even over a full year). She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. Interestingly, this coin has been bent and straightened, most likely via the use of teeth! When this issue first appeared on the streets of London in the later months of 1561, it was so different looking to what was in peoples' pockets at the time that it was met with immediate suspicion and distrust. People literally bit and bent the coins to test the metal content. A rare date - the first I've had in many years, if memory serves, together with a tangible insight into 1561 Tudor life in London! £435

Ex John Newman (his ticket)

WTH-7457: 1564/2 Elizabeth 1st MILLED or MACHINE PRESSED Silver Sixpence. Milled issue, initial mark Star, Spink 2598, Borden & Brown 33 02 R1. A rare example of an overdate in the milled series. When you consider that “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage”, you gain an insight into just how rare all non 1562 milled coins are. I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced. Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. £425

WTH-7834: 1564/3 Elizabeth 1st MILLED or MACHINE PRESSED Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Star, bust D, Spink 2598. A rare example of an overdate in the milled series. When you consider that “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage”, you gain an insight into just how rare all non 1562 milled coins are. I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced. Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. £645

WTH-7835: 1567 Elizabeth 1st MILLED or MACHINE PRESSED Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Lis, Spink 2599. A rare example of an overdate in the milled series. When you consider that “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage”, you gain an insight into just how rare all non 1562 milled coins are. I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced. Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. £465

WTH-7907: 1567 Elizabeth 1st MILLED or MACHINE PRESSED Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Lis, Spink 2599. When you consider that “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage”, you gain an insight into just how rare all non 1562 milled coins are. I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced. Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. This coin has provenance going right back to August 1957. The straight 67 is rarer than the 68/7 overdate. £465

WTH-7882: 1567 Elizabeth 1st Milled or Machine-Pressed Silver Sixpence with Excellent Provenance. Initial mark lis, small crude bust, Spink 2599. Borden & Brown 37 (O1/R1) - type 7c. The following, which I highlight at the top of the Elizabeth 1^st page, is fact: “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage.” It doesn’t take a statistician to see that for Spink to state that a 1567 milled 6d is commoner than a 1562 6d is beyond ridiculous (I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced). Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. Old tickets here: Ex Spink 1948 and residing in the same family until recently. A rarer date coin. £495

WTH-7883: 1567 Elizabeth 1st Milled or Machine-Pressed Silver Sixpence with Excellent Provenance. Initial mark lis, small crude bust, Spink 2599. Borden & Brown 37 (O1/R1) - type 7c. The following, which I highlight at the top of the Elizabeth 1^st page, is fact: “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage.” It doesn’t take a statistician to see that for Spink to state that a 1567 milled 6d is commoner than a 1562 6d is beyond ridiculous. (I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced). Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. Old tickets here: Ex CEJ 1945 and residing in the same family until recently. A rarer date coin. £495

WTH-7884: 1568/7 Elizabeth 1st Milled or Machine-Pressed Silver Sixpence with Excellent Provenance. Initial mark lis, small crude bust, Spink 2599. Borden & Brown 40 (O2/R1) - type 7c, this exact coin cited and illustrated. The following, which I highlight at the top of the Elizabeth 1^st page, is fact: “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage.” It doesn’t take a statistician to see that for Spink to state that a 1568/7 milled 6d is commoner than a 1562 6d is beyond ridiculous. (I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced). Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. Old tickets here: Ex Spink 1958 and residing in the same family until recently. A rarer date and better grade coin. £685

WTH-7836: 1568/7 Elizabeth 1st MILLED or MACHINE PRESSED Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Lis, Spink 2599. A rare example of an overdate in the milled series. When you consider that “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage”, you gain an insight into just how rare all non 1562 milled coins are. I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced. Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. Ex Arthur Fitts' collection. £545

WTH-7837: 1568/7 Elizabeth 1st MILLED or MACHINE PRESSED Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Lis, Spink 2599. A rare example of an overdate in the milled series. When you consider that “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage”, you gain an insight into just how rare all non 1562 milled coins are. I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced. Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. £795

WTH-7648: 1568/7 Elizabeth 1st MILLED or MACHINE PRESSED Silver Sixpence. Small bust with ear showing, initial mark Lis, Spink 2599. A much rarer year although I’ve just, for the very first time, noticed that Spink rate 1568 as commoner than 1562!! Now Spink’s price guide has many strange anomalies riddled throughout (I’m being diplomatic!) but I have to say, this one may well take the biscuit! I don’t take too much notice of Spink pricing as it’s all very general, based on the commonest variety (ie there are more than x10 different varieties for 1651 Commonwealth shillings but Spink only give one price, which will be for the very commonest of those date varieties) and nearly always priced too low, which is probably why I’ve never noticed this 62 v’s 68 thing before. It should always be remembered that Spink is just a guide, not a set-in-stone-bible, although the differentials between varieties should be reasonably accurate, which is definitely NOT the case here. The following, which I highlight at the top of the Elizabeth 1^st page, is fact: “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage.” It doesn’t take a statistician to see that for Spink to state that a 1568 milled 6d is commoner than a 1562 6d is beyond ridiculous. (I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced). Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. A rarer date coin. Ex Spink. £395

WTH-7801: 1568/7 Elizabeth 1^st Machine Screw-Press Silver Sixpence. Small bust with ear showing, initial mark Lis, Spink 2599. A much rarer year although I’ve just, for the very first time, noticed that Spink rate 1568 as commoner than 1562!! Now Spink’s price guide has many strange anomalies riddled throughout (I’m being diplomatic!) but I have to say, this one may well take the biscuit! I don’t take too much notice of Spink pricing as it’s all very general, based on the commonest variety (ie there are more than x10 different varieties for 1651 Commonwealth shillings but Spink only give one price, which will be for the very commonest of those date varieties) and nearly always priced too low, which is probably why I’ve never noticed this 62 v’s 68 thing before. It should always be remembered that Spink is just a guide, not a set-in-stone-bible, although the differentials between varieties should be reasonably accurate, which is definitely NOT the case here. The following, which I highlight at the top of the Elizabeth 1^st page, is fact: “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562. This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage.” It doesn’t take a statistician to see that for Spink to state that a 1568 milled 6d is commoner than a 1562 6d is beyond ridiculous. (I don't tend to buy 1562 machine pressed sixpences as they are invariably overpriced). Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. This is an interesting, very late 1568 issue from dies that were failing, as evidenced from the three separate obverse die flaws. I have never seen any more than a single die flaw before. I suspect the pressure was reduced in the press in order to facilitate this die lasting the course as there are uncharacteristic corresponding poorly struck areas at 5 o’clock obv and 7 o’clock rev. An interesting and rarer date coin. Ex Spink. £595

WTH-8992: 1571/0 Elizabeth 1st MILLED or MACHINE PRESSED Silver Sixpence. Large, crude bust with ear showing, initial mark Castle over Lis, Spink 2600. The rarest date in the "milled" series by a country mile. Queen Elizabeth 1^st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10^th July 1561. She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery. The visit was reported to be six hours in length. Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting. Eloye Mestrelle's experiment effectively came to an end on 1st September 1568 when his kinsman, Philippe Mestrell was charged with counterfeiting Burgundian gold coins. Unfortunately for Eloye Mestrelle, he was implicated in the crime. Philippe Mestrell was found guilty in January 1569 and subsequently executed at Tyburn. Eloye Mestrelle was successful in suing for a pardon but that really was the beginning of the end. He wasn't allowed anywhere near gold, for obvious reasons, and was restricted with milled silver to such an extent that we see this coin with a previously unheard of retrograde N, an awkward portrait of the Queen and a general low grade set of dies all round. This date was not a patch on his earlier work, of which he was well aware as he adopted the ongoing initial marks of the hammered series (for this year it was Castle) rather than continuing with his own marks. Old tickets here. Walter Wilkinson, on his original distinctive ticket, gives this RRR rarity which is only one less R than the fabled undated sixpence to which he gave a rarity of RRRR. A great rarity in Elizabethan coinage with a back story to match and a provenance that is quite remarkable. If you need a 1570 milled 6d for your collection, this is surely the one to get! £2,395 RESERVED (M.He 8-10-24 Lay-Away)

Provenance:

Ex Seaby (1959)

Ex R. Carlyon-Britton collection (1971)

Ex B.R. Noble collection, dispersed through...

Glendining's Auction, 11-12 December 1975, lot 582

Ex Covent Garden collection, sold to...

Ex Chris Comber collection, sold 1986 to...

Ex Walter Wilkinson collection dispersed through...

DNW Auction 148, 18-20th September 2018, lot 519

Threepences

WTH-7802: 1562 Elizabeth 1^st Machine Screw-Press Silver Threepence. Tall bust with no ear showing, initial mark Star, medium rose, Spink 2603. A much rarer denomination with only x4 different dates. I again refer the reader to the factual statement at the top of the Elizabeth 1^st page, highlighted in yellow, which will comprehensively illustrate just how rare this denomination is. Spink sold a similar example some time ago for £1,140 after commissions. It should be noted that in that auction, Spink misidentified the coin by attributing it as Spink 2604. It was Spink 2603. Probably only the 3^rd threepence I have ever had. £535 RESERVED (M.He.26-6-23 LayAway)

Hammered Silver Issue

Halfcrowns

WTH-7690: 1601 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Halfcrown. Seventh issue, Spink 2583. The Edward VI crowns and halfcrowns – primarily just eye-catching big coins to promote Edward’s restoration of the sterling standard (after Henry VIII’s escapades) in 1551 – didn’t really take off. The German thaler, which was introduced actually before Elizabeth 1^st was even born, and the Spanish dollar or piece of eight, was brought to the attention of the English mint towards the very end of the reign as a bullion coin for use with the East India Company. Prior to 1600, the company had used foreign coinage and then the testern or Portcullis pieces for transportation of bullion, neither of which were well received by the monarchy, particularly the latter as it did not bear the queen’s portrait. The large flans of these new crowns and halfcrowns were ideal for the engraver Charles Anthony to display his ionic portrait which pleased the queen enormously compared to the non portrait testerns. This was either luck or great foresight as within 50 years, the halfcrown was the principle circulating coin in the English economy! An interesting die variation with the sceptre pointing to the I of REGINA as opposed to the usual G. £2,895

Shillings

WTH-8991: Very Rare Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver FIRST ISSUE Shilling. Wire inner circles only, bust 1B (Brown bust 2), initial mark Lis: 1st January 1559 to the Spring of 1560. Spink 2548. A great rarity in the series and one that when it des turn up, which is hardly ever, invariably has issues, or at the very least is much worn through a combination of a poor obverse die (ie insufficient definition / depth on the portrait) and much circulation. This coin is one of the best known examples, being part of the famous Lingford collection in 1949 and Chris Comber's impressive, more recent collection (dispersed DNW 2018), to which he was constantly upgrading but this coin he simply could not better. Old tickets here. Chris Comber gives this RRR rarity which is only one less R than the fabled undated sixpence to which he gave a rarity of RRRR. An extremely rare coin, particularly so in this grade. £1,550

Provenance:

Ex Herbert Muspratt Lingford collection (purchased March 1949)

Ex Chris Comber collection

Ex Tim Owen

WTH-7471: 1594-96 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Shilling. Sixth Issue, initial mark Woolpack, Spink 2577. Bust 6B. Scratches to the face (deliberate, contemporary graffiti) otherwise a good, solid example of a scarcer denomination. £325

WTH-7905: Elizabeth 1st Early Hammered Silver Shilling. Initial mark Cross Crosslet, bust 3C, second issue, Spink 2555. Second issue Cross Crosslet hammered shillings were only struck for a total of 10 months (1st December 1560 to 24^th October 1561) – interestingly, there was a 20 odd year hiatus before shillings were once again issued under Elizabeth 1st. Minimal wear on this coin - shillings upwards were extremely hard to prepare dies for. The legends bit was relatively easy but to cut a die with a view to getting a portrait onto a large piece of silver, using the hammering process, what a remarkably difficult undertaking and one that perhaps defeated the die sinkers most of the time. £445

Sixpences

WTH-7955: Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver UNDATED Sixpence. Initial mark Lion, 1567, Third & Fourth issues, Spink 2562A. Comber, Wilkinson & Brown (2006, updated 2012) in their seminal publication on Elizabethan coinage list only three examples recorded, one of which is held by the British Museum (ref CT-2201). My understanding is that in the decade following on from the update, there are now four examples recorded: the British Museum example, initial mark Lion, 1st February 1567 to 30th June 1567 [the CT-2201 coin], initial mark Coronet, 1st July 1567 to 28th February 1570, initial mark Ermine, 19th April 1572 to 30th October 1573, and this coin, another initial mark Lion, sold to the Comber collection in 2010 and, for whatever reason, not included in the 2012 update. Comber, Wilkinson & Brown do not go into any details regarding the undated issues, save only to suggest that the reverse dies on all sixpences were initially prepared with no date, that being added later. That doesn't quite add up and to be fair, Comber, Wilkinson & Brown do caveat their suggestion by stating that overdates are known for most dates during this period. No Comber ticket (as is often the case - his collection was vast and very much a work in progress right up to the end) but Comber did annotate the earlier ticket with the maximum "RRRR". The more observant of you will see that chronologically, an undated sixpence is missing from the initial mark Castle period, there being two undated sixpences before initial mark Castle and one after. It does seem a stretch to me that these undated coins are simply down to carelessness at the mint - perhaps one, but three? With an estimated Elizabeth 1st survival rate today of between four and ten coins per die, we might conceivably look forward to the day when some lucky metal detector unearths "Lucy", the missing link; an undated CASTLE sixpence?! Regulars will smile wryly, being all too aware that I frequently bang on about 1597 being the rarest dated sixpence. And so it is, but if you're an Elizabeth 1st sixpence collector, the 1597 is as nothing compared to the rarity of the legendary undated sixpence!! You will likely never see another one of these for sale ever again. Ex Chris Comber collection, purchased DNW 2010. You'll need to be quick on this one! RESERVED (M.He 16-1-24 Lay-Away)

WTH-7456: 156Z/1 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Third & Fourth issues, initial mark Pheon, Spink 2561. 1562 as a date represents a frequency of 1.8% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 1.4% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1562 is the nineteenth rarest of all forty two dates. An interesting die. You might be thinking this was an error (a Z for a 2) but you’d be wrong. 1561 was a huge year for sixpence output, there being x17 different dies in use with several more prepared in case they needed them. They didn’t and so when 1562 happened, one or two of those x17 dies that hadn’t broken were recycled, along with the unused 1561 “reserve” dies. They decided a Z made a better number 2 until they saw sense. There are fewer 156Z/1 dies recorded than straight 62 dies. £265

WTH-7831: 1563/2 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Pheon, third & fourth issue.  Spink 2561.  This date only ever occurs as an overdate - they clearly had a lot of functional dies left over from 1562 which they adapted / recycled to make 1563 dies. An unusual triple vertical dot arrangement after ELIZABETH - it's usually a double or occasionally a single dot.  1563 as a date represents a frequency of 0.6% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.4% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1563 is the seventh rarest of all forty two dates - it was a plague year with a population mass exodus out of London, resulting in London commerce coming to a virtual standstill. Only the people who could afford to escape the plague left London but then they were the very people generating commerce. Ex Mayfair Coins (1980) and thence to the famous Chris Comber collection (his ticket).An important coin in the sixpence series. £425

WTH-8116: 1563/2 Elizabeth 1st Tudor Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark Pheon, third & fourth issue.  Spink 2561.  This date only ever occurs as an overdate - they clearly had a lot of functional dies left over from 1562 which they adapted / recycled to make 1563 dies. An unusual triple vertical dot arrangement after ELIZABETH - it's usually a double or occasionally a single dot.  1563 as a date represents a frequency of 0.6% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.4% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1563 is the seventh rarest of all forty two dates - it was a plague year with a population mass exodus out of London, resulting in London commerce coming to a virtual standstill. Only the people who could afford to escape the plague left London but then they were the very people generating commerce. An important coin in the sixpence series. £385

WTH-7459: 1564 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Third & Fourth issues, initial mark Pheon, Spink 2561b. 1564 (all varieties) as a date represents a frequency of 2.2% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 1.8% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins, but you also need to be aware that there are x14 recorded examples of all 1564 dies and ONLY ONE OF THOSE IS A STRAIGHT 64!! This is a very rare coin and hugely underrated by most people. £245

WTH-7460: 1565 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Third & Fourth issues, initial mark Rose, Spink 2561b. Old tickets here. 1565 as a date represents a frequency of 3.8% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 2.5% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. There was some impressive die life this year – only x5 dies are recorded compared to way more for previous years. Also, even though 64 was a huge year where they must have had many left over dies, either partly used or reserve dies, there are no overdates for 1565. £175

WTH-7316: 1565 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Third and fourth issue, initial mark Pheon, 1F bust variety – Spink 2561. Only five recorded dies. 1565 as a date represents a frequency of 3.8% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 2.5% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. £125

WTH-7832: 1565 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Rose (started late 1565: 1st October), third & fourth issue.  Spink 2561.  This date only ever occurs as a straight 65 - they clearly had no functional dies left over from 1564 with which they could adapt / recycle to make 1565 dies. This is even more impressive when you learn that virtually all 1564 coins were recycled from old 1562 dies! They had clearly got their act together after the fiasco of 1562 when they had dies by the bucket full that went unused that year. 1565 as a date represents a frequency of 3.8% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 2.5% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. It's a date you don't come across that often these days. £235

WTH-7462: 1567 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Third & Fourth issues, initial mark Coronet, Spink 2562. 1567 as a date represents a frequency of 6.6% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 4.8% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. £235

WTH-7705: 1568 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Third issue, initial mark Coronet, Spink 2562. Ex C. Martin 1981, ex Chris Comber collection. 1568 as a date represents a frequency of 4.6% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 5.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. Outstanding grade. £285

WTH-7772: 1572 Elizabeth 1st Tudor Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark Ermine, bust 4B, third & fourth issues, Spink 2562. This is an example of the UNCORRECTED die sinker’s error of the 2 in the date being both reversed and inverted. Several recorded errors were made on various Elizabethan dies but I think this is the most unforgivable because even if you were illiterate, you’d surely notice an upside down, reversed 2 and if you didn’t, then surely the quality control people would flag it up?! And for it to then go into production to not only strike coinage but for that coinage to then be deemed correct and good enough for distribution into general circulation…???!!! It doesn’t seem possible but it certainly happened. It obviously was quickly discovered and corrected because coins exist that are normal 2 struck over this inverted 2 die. Ex Arthur Fitts’ collection. £275

WTH-7464: 1573 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Third & Fourth issues, initial mark Acorn, Spink 2563. 1573 as a date represents a frequency of 4.6% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 5.3% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. £185

WTH-7959: 1574 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark obverse Eglantine; reverse Eglantine over Acorn. One of the clearest initial mark counterstamps you're ever likely to see. Bust 5A, Third & Fourth issues, Spink 2563. What is of great interest here is the obverse initial mark, it being originally an Acorn reverse die (1st November 1573 to 25th May 1574) recycled for use as an Eglantine coin (29th May 1574 to 13th July 1578). There is no overdate evident although the final digit, a 4, shows every indication of being added after the die was cut, ie the reverse die was prepared with 157- in place with the final digit to be added to correspond with whatever year it was when the die was finally put into production. The original Comber ticket highlights the overmark, attributing a very impressive "RR" rarity rating to the coin. Such initial mark overstamps are recorded and, as you'd expect, are very rare indeed. There is a similar coin listed on this site with Initial mark obverse Eglantine over Ermine which is rarer still. Ex Brown, ex Wilkinson, ex Chris Comber collections. A very rare coin indeed with the added benefit of being endowed with attractive toning and better grade. £345 RESERVED (M.He.16-1-24 LayAway)

WTH-7958: 1575 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark obverse Eglantine over Ermine; reverse Eglantine. Bust 5A, Third & Fourth issues, Spink 2563. There is no evidence of this date being 1575/2 as suggested in one of the unidentified tickets and indeed, that combination currently does not exist as a recorded overdate. What is of great interest is the obverse initial mark, it being originally an Ermine die (19th April 1572 to 30th October 1573) recycled for use as an Eglantine coin (29th May 1574 to 13th July 1578). No Comber ticket (as is often the case - his collection was vast and very much a work in progress right up to the end) but the old, unidentified ticket states "Eglantine over Acorn?" and then, in another hand, "highly unlikely". In my opinion, this coin was originally a much earlier Ermine - the two upper horizontals being evident either side of the counterstamped Eglantine. Such initial mark overstamps are recorded and, as you'd expect, are very rare indeed. There is a similar coin listed on this site with initial mark obverse Eglantine over Acorn; reverse Eglantine. Comber attributed a rarity value of "RR" to that coin (this one would be rarer still), which illustrates just how atypical these coins are. This coin, initial mark obverse Eglantine over Ermine is rarer because of the greater separation of time between the two marks. Bust 5 was introduced July or August 1573 on Ermine dies thus this is a very late Ermine obverse die, altered to Eglantine, and then paired with a mid-production Eglantine reverse. Ex Chris Comber collection. A very rare coin indeed. £275 RESERVED (M.He.16-1-24 LayAway)

WTH-7706: 1576 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Third issue, initial mark Eglantine, Spink 2563. 1576 as a date represents a frequency of 0.8% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 1.0% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1576 is the sixteenth rarest of all forty two dates. Strong reverse, especially date. £125

WTH-8117: 1576 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Third issue, initial mark Eglantine, Spink 2563. 1576 as a date represents a frequency of 0.8% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 1.0% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1576 is the sixteenth rarest of all forty two dates. A very good grade coin with minor reverse graffiti. £295

WTH-7957: 1577/6 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark Eglantine, Bust 5A, Third & Fourth issues, Spink 2563. The overdate couldn't be clearer. It may be of interest to read that this is such a rare date that there are only these 1577/6 overdates recorded, ie there are literally no straight 1577 coins, meaning that all 1577 sixpence reverse dies were recycled from earlier years. 1577 as a date represents a frequency of 0.4% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.4% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1577 is the sixth rarest of all forty two dates. Nice grade and attractively toned thus a very rare coin. Ex Chris Comber collection. £465 RESERVED (M.He.16-1-24 LayAway)

WTH-7599: 1577/6 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark Eglantine, third & fourth issues, Spink 2563. 1577 as a date represents a frequency of 0.4% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.4% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1577 is the sixth rarest of all forty two dates. Whilst you can’t argue with the data, I would have placed 1577 at more like 4th or 5^th, but that’s clearly anecdotal. Interestingly, 1577, and to a lesser extent, 1576, are often thought of as common dates as they are both completely surrounded by commoner dates on a graph of extant recorded examples. Interestingly, 1577 does not exist as a straight 77 – they are all overstruck on old recycled 1576 dies. It is telling that very few 1577 sixpences were actually struck as they were winding down the Fourth coinage: not only is there a Fifth coinage 1578/7 variety (showing that they did actually produce a straight 1577 but didn’t use it), but there is also a Fifth coinage 1578/7/6 variety showing that the 1577/6 was clearly only used sparingly in 1577 as it was still viable in 1578, albeit with yet another alteration. A very rare coin. £425

WTH-7804: 1580 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence Fifth issue, initial mark Latin or Long Cross, which was in use 1^st June 1580 to 31^st December 1581 so much more prevalent of 1581 coins. Further, there are overdates recorded – 1580/79, of which this coin is decidedly not – so it’s a fair assumption to date this coin to the latter months of the second half of 1580. Interestingly, no 1580 dies were recycled post this date. Likely to have been part of a hoard at some point as the coin has been historically cleaned and the grade is outstanding. Note the reverse, which as good as you’ll ever see on one of these. The coin is probably not far off “as struck” with the obverse being a tad under-struck, coupled with some slight double striking. Even taking grade out of the equation, this is a particularly well made specimen, especially as 1580 is at the point where quality of the dies and the actual end product started to fall off the cliff! There is a scratch to the neck which could be as a result of recovery from the ground, or perhaps a test scratch to ascertain authenticity because the coin was probably a stand-out example when it hit the streets. Just speculation, though. 1580 as a date represents a frequency of 3.7% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 4.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. Spink 2572. A very desirable coin. £375 RESERVED (M.He.4-7-23 LayAway)

WTH-7670: 1580 over 1579 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Fifth coinage, bust 5A, initial mark Latin Cross, Spink 2572. Overdates, with altered initial marks, are found because too many dies were sunk in a year where less coinage was struck that was originally expected, often down to availability of bullion. These old dies were effectively recycled up to three years later. It is interesting to note that although changing the initial mark was obligatory, in line with the various pyx inspections, the date was not required to be changed. They are actually quite rare in all coinages, but specifically for the fifth coinage, it only really happened three times. When you think that 79 to be changed to 80 would have been twice the work, you begin to wonder why they bothered changing the date at all. The overdate on this coin is very clear. 1580 as a date represents a frequency of 3.7% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 4.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. £225

WTH-7572: 1585 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark Escallop, sixth issue. Only a single 1585 die recorded – two future overdates (1586/5 and 1587/6/5) are recorded which were basically recycled dies from previous years, ie they made more 1585 dies than they actually used. 1585 as a date represents a frequency of 1.4% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 2.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1585 is the twentieth rarest of all forty two dates. £145

WTH-7956: 1587/6/5 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark Crescent, Bust 5B, Sixth issue, Spink 2578. This is the much rarer 7 over 6 over 5 overdate (there is evidence of a high 5's lower crescent), this being a recorded overdate, along with the 1587/6. Both overdates are equally rare with the straight 87 being most commonly encountered. 1587 as a date represents a frequency of 0.9% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 1.0% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1587 is the twelfth rarest of all forty two dates, but do please bear in mind that 12th rarest is for a straight, non overdate 1587. Ex Lingford collection, purchased from Lingford by Baldwins in 1951, ex Chris Comber collection. £285 RESERVED (M.He.16-1-24 LayAway)

WTH-7707: 1588 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark Crescent, Spink 2578A. 1588 as a date represents a frequency of 0.2% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.2% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1588 is the fourth rarest of all forty two dates. The famous Spanish Armada date and although only 4^th rarest in the “league table”, this date is arguably the most sought after of all dates. If you check prices in previous (proper) coin auctions, you’ll see some very high prices, especially in the States, and don’t forget there’s 30% buyer’s commission on top of those prices. Interestingly, this coin looks to have been a 15-- die where the final 8 has been added, presumably because this was a time of austerity where relatively few coins were struck; the thought being that these dies could be used over several years without the need to overdate. I have since bought a 1588 6d (WTH-7833) where both number 8s look t have bee added to a 15-- die. £425 RESERVED (M.H.21-3-23 Lay-Away)

WTH-8118: Unrecorded 1588 - final 8 over sideways 8 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark Crescent, Spink 2578A. Note the two 8's are low down, indicating both final digits were added to a finished 15-- die. In some instances, only the final 8 has been added to a 158- die. This was a time of austerity where relatively few coins were struck; the thought being that these dies could be used over several years without the need to overdate. However, much more important is the final 8, it being overstruck over a sideways 8. Messrs. Brown, Comber & Wilkinson, the undisputed leading experts on all things numismatically linked to Elizabeth 1st, in their research paper (published 2006, updated 2012), state that there is but a single 1588 variety recorded - of all the other dates in this series (1561 - 1602), 1597 and 1588 are the only dates to have a single type, everything else having multiple dates, overdates, various errors etc, etc. And yet this coin is ex Chris Comber collection - clearly an addition to his collection (all three of them were actively adding to their collection right up until the end) post the 2012 update to their research. Completely unrecorded and unique at this point in time. Interestingly, the same employee at the mint who thought a sideways 8 was a good idea to add to a 15-- die was probably still employed in 1589 when he again thought a sideways 9 was an equally good and acceptable idea! 1580 also has an 8 over a sideways 8. After 1589, no more errors of this nature are recorded thus we can assume that he was either cured of his sideways view on things or moved out! 1588 as a date represents a frequency of 0.2% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.2% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1588 is the fourth rarest of all forty two dates. The famous Spanish Armada date and although only 4^th rarest in the “league table”, this date is arguably the most sought after of all dates. A very important coin. £645

WTH-8119: 1589 - final 9 over sideways 9 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark Crescent, Spink 2578A. Note the two 9's are actually level with the 15 although both final digits were added to a finished 15-- die. In some instances, only the final digit was added to a 158- die. This was a time of austerity where relatively few coins were struck; the thought being that these dies could be used over several years without the need to overdate. However, much more important is the final 9, it being overstruck over a sideways 9 and further, that upright 9 was struck over another upright 9. Messrs. Brown, Comber & Wilkinson, the undisputed leading experts on all things numismatically linked to Elizabeth 1st, in their research paper (published 2006, updated 2012), do record this sideways 9 but not the second upright 9. Interestingly, the same employee at the mint who thought a sideways 9 was a good idea to add to a 15-- die was probably the same one who in 1588 thought a sideways 8 was an equally good and acceptable idea! 1580 also has an 8 over a sideways 8. After 1589, no more errors of this nature are recorded thus we can assume that he was either cured of his sideways view on things or moved out! 1589 as a date represents a frequency of 0.5% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.5% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1589 is the eighth rarest of all forty two dates. Ex Chris Comber collection. £165

WTH-7708: 1589 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark Crescent, Spink 2578A. 1589 as a date represents a frequency of 0.5% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.5% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1589 is the seventh rarest of all forty two dates. Very nice grade for such a late issue. £425 RESERVED (M.H.21-3-23 Lay-Away)

WTH-6713: 1589 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark Crescent, sixth issue. Spink 2578A. 1589 as a date represents a frequency of 0.5% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.5% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1589 is the seventh rarest of all forty two dates. £135

WTH-8121: High Grade 1590 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark Hand, Spink 2578B. 1590 as a date represents a frequency of 1.0% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 1.2% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1590 is the fourteenth rarest of all forty two dates. Outstanding grade for a coin so late in the series. Ex Chris Comber collection. £465

WTH-7671: 1591 over 1590 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Sixth coinage, bust 6C, initial mark Hand, Spink 2578B. Overdates, with altered initial marks, are found because too many dies were sunk in a year where less coinage was struck that was originally expected, often down to availability of bullion. These old dies were effectively recycled up to three years later. It is interesting to note that although changing the initial mark was obligatory, in line with the various pyx inspections, the date was not required to be changed. 1590 changed to 1591 is a strange one in that most of the 1590 sixpences issued were made from 1589 recycled dies and the rest were from straight 1590 dies. They clearly didn’t issue many straight 1590 coins (it is a rarer year) because the dies were barely used – they took the 1591 dies, seeing they were still fresh, and altered them to produce 1591 coinage. 1591 as a date represents a frequency of 1.2% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 1.2% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1591 is the fifteenth rarest of all forty two dates. £255

WTH-7092: 1592 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark Tun, sixth issue. Spink 2578B. 1592 as a date represents a frequency of 2.5% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 2.4% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. £95

WTH-7560: 1593 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark Tun, bust 6C, Spink 2578B. Sometime cleaned. Ex A. Travis collection. 1593 as a date represents a frequency of 2.5% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 2.4% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. Only x3 recorded straight 93 dies recorded. These later dates are invariably lower grade and problematic but this coin is much above average. £275

WTH-7805: 1594 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence Sixth issue, initial mark Woolpack, which was in use 9^th May 1594 to 13^th February 1596. The straight 94, of which this is very much an example, is less frequently seen than the commoner 1594/3 overdates. Saying that, 94 is still overall a rare year: 1594 as a date represents a frequency of 2.6% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 2.6% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. Again, by this date, the quality of dies and the actual end product seemed to have been a far distant memory so it’s nice, not to say unusual, to see such a good grade example. Spink 2578B. Impact mark or punch below the Queen’s ear. Nicely toned. £175

WTH-7319: 1596 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark Key, Spink 2578B. One of the rare years - 1596 as a date represents a frequency of 0.7% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 1.0% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1596 is the eleventh rarest of all forty two dates. A grand total of three recorded dies (one of which is 9/6, another being bereft of any initial mark whatsoever) illustrates just how rare a year this is. Unusually for these rare later dates, this coin is actually very nice grade for issue. £295

WTH-7806: 1596 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence Sixth issue, initial mark Key, which was in use 13^th February 1596 to 7^th February 1599. There were no overdates (ie recycled reverse dies) used for this rare year: 1596 as a date represents a frequency of 0.7% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 1.0% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1596 is the eleventh rarest of all forty two dates. The late 1590’s to the end in 1602 were poor years in terms of quality of dies and sixpence coinage, even more so than the 1580’s. Anecdotally, the silver alloy content deteriorated as well, thereby not helping the state of the coinage. Not the most photogenic of coins; it is, however, a very nice grade example of this rarer, late year, albeit afflicted with an inferior silver alloy, along with perhaps every other 1596 coin going. A very nice and hard to find example. £365

WTH-7709: 1597 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark Key, Spink 2578B. 1597 as a date represents a frequency of <0.04% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and <0.03% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. *** 1597 is the rarest of all forty two dates *** I have only had one better through my hands in many, many years. That was the Walter Wilkinson coin which now forms the backbone of a very impressive, growing collection and definitely not available. A great rarity, especially in this grade. £950

WTH-8122: 1597 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark Key, Spink 2578B. Note the 97 digits are actually lower than they should be, indicating that both final digits were added to a finished 15-- die. 1597 as a date represents a frequency of <0.04% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and <0.03% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. *** 1597 is the rarest of all forty two dates *** A great rarity. £525

WTH-8030: 1598 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark Anchor, Sixth issue, Spink 2578B. 1598 as a date represents a frequency of 0.1% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. *** 1598 is the second rarest of all forty two dates *** There was an economic depression during the final years of the sixteenth century, a factor hugely relevant in the rarity of this coin. This led to a situation where there was an oversupply of dies. 1598 exists only as a straight 1598 but the dies were used in subsequent years because so few coins were struck in 1598 that the existing dies were still fresh as a daisy! We see later 1599/8/6 and 1599/8 coins to illustrate this. The more astute among you may well be wondering how a 1598 coin can have an anchor as an initial mark when anchor was 8th Feb 1599 to 30th April 1600. Some may suggest the change from Julian to Gregorian calendars? Although the Gregorian calendar was adopted widely in 1582, it wasn't until 1752 that it was adopted in the UK - on that day, Wednesday September 2nd 1752 was promptly followed by Thursday September 14th, and New Year's Day was moved from March 25th to January 1st. So it wasn't the Gregorian calendar but the truth lies in that last statement: New Year's Day was moved from March 25th to January 1st. In 1598, the year ended March 24th, thus initial mark anchor (8th Feb 1599 to 30th April 1600) and a date of 1598 was perfectly acceptable. Ex Ewerby Hoard. Not a particularly pleasing coin but nevertheless hugely interesting, very rare and benefiting from coming from that well known, recent hoard – and by the way, this large hoard was very much made up of worn coins from circulation with apparently zero consideration given for any part of it to be “nice coins” – these were the coins available to the individual who put that hoard together at that time. This 1598 is fairly representative across the board in terms of grade, showing us that the general coinage in circulation in the 1640’s – the given date of this hoard – was poor. It’s frustrating when people demand high grade, choice sixpences and complain that all see are “battered, low grade” examples. The Chris Comber and Walter Wilkinson Elizabeth 1^st collections had their fair share of coins looking like this, even after many decades of collecting and upgrading. A very rare coin indeed in the sixpence series. £455 RESERVED (M.He.1-2-24 LayAway)

WTH-8031: 1599/8 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark a straight Anchor, Sixth issue, Spink 2578B. 1599 as a date represents a frequency of 0.2% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. *** 1599 is the third rarest of all forty two dates *** There was an economic depression during the final years of the sixteenth century, a factor hugely relevant in the rarity of this coin. This led to a situation where there was an oversupply of dies, resulting in date alterations (we see 1599/8/6, 99/8 [this coin] and 99/6). This scenario only started in 1598 as prior to that date, we see very little, if any overdating – even 1597 was a straight date. More interesting still, this coin is an unrecorded 1599 (large final 9) over 1599 (small final 9) over 1598. One die is recorded where BOTH the 9 and 8 of the date were overstruck with a large 9 punch but this is just the final digit and a smaller 9 is indicated in terms of the trailing tail. I have to say that this trailing tail may or may not be a small 9 but even if it isn't, this is still unrecorded in that only a single large 9 was used. Ex Ewerby Hoard. Not a particularly pleasing coin but nevertheless hugely interesting, very rare and benefiting from coming from that well known, recent hoard – and by the way, this large hoard was very much made up of worn coins from circulation with apparently zero consideration given for any part of it to be “nice coins” – these were the coins available to the individual who put that hoard together at that time. This 1599/8 is fairly representative across the board in terms of grade, showing us that the general coinage in circulation in the 1640’s – the given date of this hoard – was poor. It’s frustrating when people demand high grade, choice sixpences and complain that all see are “battered, low grade” examples. The Chris Comber and Walter Wilkinson Elizabeth 1^st collections had their fair share of coins looking like this, even after many decades of collecting and upgrading. A rare coin. £375

WTH-7600: 1599/8 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Initial mark Anchor over Key, Sixth issue, Spink 2578B. 1599 as a date represents a frequency of 0.2% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. *** 1599 is the third rarest of all forty two dates *** There was an economic depression during the final years of the sixteenth century, a factor hugely relevant in the rarity of this coin. This led to a situation where there was an oversupply of dies, resulting in not only date alterations (we see 1599/8/6, 99/8 [this coin] and 99/6) but also initial mark changes, in this case it was Anchor for 1599 overstruck on Key for 98. This scenario only started in 1598 as prior to that date, we see very little, if any overdating – even 1597 was a straight date. More interesting still, this coin is the rarer AN over KY in ANG error. Ex Ewerby Hoard. Not a particularly pleasing coin but nevertheless hugely interesting, very rare and benefiting from coming from that well known, recent hoard – and by the way, this large hoard was very much made up of worn coins from circulation with apparently zero consideration given for any part of it to be “nice coins” – these were the coins available to the individual who put that hoard together at that time. This 1599 is fairly representative across the board in terms of grade, showing us that the general coinage in circulation in the 1640’s – the given date of this hoard – was poor. It’s frustrating when people demand high grade, choice sixpences and complain that all see are “battered, low grade” examples. The Chris Comber and Walter Wilkinson Elizabeth 1^st collections had their fair share of coins looking like this, even after many decades of collecting and upgrading. A rare coin. £325 RESERVED (M.H.14-11-22 Lay-Away)

WTH-8993: 1600/159- Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark 0, bust 6B - Spink 2578B. For the vast bulk of Elizabethan coinage, little or no foresight had been used regarding dates and initial marks, resulting in glaring overdates when the old dies were used again (recycled) in subsequent years, for example the famous 1578/7/6. There are many others. The penny dropped at the mint, eventually, that perhaps sinking dies but omitting initial marks and with only partial dates (those to be added when the dies were brought into use), might be a good idea. Amusingly, this practice was adopted in, wait for it, 1599 - the most inappropriate time possible because the following year was 1600 with three digits changing as opposed to usually one and rarely two! Rather than throw away the prepared 159- "future-proof" dies, they decided to alter the middle two digits from -59- to -60-. The first digit (thankfully!) didn't need changing and all they had to do was add the 0 to the end of the date, as well as add the initial mark in the gap provided. Thus we have 1600 over 159- coins. Interestingly, these 159- dies were also used in 1601 but even after adding the final digit and changing the middle two, they discovered that the first and last digits were so far apart in time that they were actually from different punches and so different! Demand for English coin was much in decline at this period so these were tiny mintages: 1600 as a date represents a frequency of 0.4% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1600 is the fifth rarest of all forty two dates. I have to say that I don't see 1600 as being as abundant as that, and I'm far from the only person saying that. I've offered a handful of 1588 and 1597 sixpences over recent years but checking my records, no 1600 sixpences - indeed, I had to twist the arm of a very well known collector of Elizabethan coinage to sell me two examples as I couldn't get them anywhere else! A rare coin indeed. £495

WTH-8994: 1600/159- Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark 0, bust 6B - Spink 2578B. For the vast bulk of Elizabethan coinage, little or no foresight had been used regarding dates and initial marks, resulting in glaring overdates when the old dies were used again (recycled) in subsequent years, for example the famous 1578/7/6. There are many others. The penny dropped at the mint, eventually, that perhaps sinking dies but omitting initial marks and with only partial dates (those to be added when the dies were brought into use), might be a good idea. Amusingly, this practice was adopted in, wait for it, 1599 - the most inappropriate time possible because the following year was 1600 with three digits changing as opposed to usually one and rarely two! Rather than throw away the prepared 159- "future-proof" dies, they decided to alter the middle two digits from -59- to -60-. The first digit (thankfully!) didn't need changing and all they had to do was add the 0 to the end of the date, as well as add the initial mark in the gap provided. Thus we have 1600 over 159- coins. Interestingly, these 159- dies were also used in 1601 but even after adding the final digit and changing the middle two, they discovered that the first and last digits were so far apart in time that they were actually from different punches and so different! Demand for English coin was much in decline at this period so these were tiny mintages: 1600 as a date represents a frequency of 0.4% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1600 is the fifth rarest of all forty two dates. I have to say that I don't see 1600 as being as abundant as that, and I'm far from the only person saying that. I've offered a handful of 1588 and 1597 sixpences over recent years but checking my records, no 1600 sixpences - indeed, I had to twist the arm of a very well known collector of Elizabethan coinage to sell me two examples as I couldn't get them anywhere else! A rare coin indeed. £495 RESERVED (M.He 8-10-24 Lay-Away)

WTH-7470: 1601 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Seventh Issue, initial mark 1, Spink 2585. 1601 as a date represents a frequency of 0.6% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.7% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1601 is the tenth rarest of all forty two dates. These later date coin, and you don’t get much later than this, other than the obvious, were nearly always poorly struck, often using dies of a lesser standard compared to the start of the reign. This coin is stunning, easily being the best grade example I’ve ever had, or probably seen. If it wasn’t for the damage, it would be a four figure coin. £225 RESERVED (M.He.16-1-24 LayAway)

WTH-7558: 1601 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Seventh issue, initial mark 1, Spink 2584. Toned. Ex Ken Bressett collection, ex H. Mitchell ($140 twenty years ago). 1601 as a date represents a frequency of 0.6% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 0.7% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1601 is the tenth rarest of all forty two dates. These later dates are invariably lower grade and problematic but this coin certainly bucks that trend. £285

WTH-7174: 1602 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Seventh issue, initial mark 2 – the last ever date in the lengthy Elizabeth 1^st sixpence series. Spink 2585. 1602 as a date represents a frequency of 1.9% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 2.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. Sold with an auction printout as well as a collector’s cabinet ticket. £125

WTH-8123: High Grade 1602 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Seventh issue, initial mark 2 – the last ever date in the lengthy Elizabeth 1^st sixpence series. Interestingly, the obverse initial mark 2 is overstruck on an earlier initial mark 1. Spink 2585. 1602 as a date represents a frequency of 1.9% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 2.1% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. Outstanding grade for a coin so late in the series. Ex Chris Comber collection. £485

Fourpence-halfpenny "Counterstamped" issue of 10th Oct to 8th Nov 1560 only

WTH-8074: Edward VI Base Shilling Counterstamped with an Elizabeth 1st Portcullis Revaluation Mark. An Edward VI base shilling from the Third Period (1551), clear initial mark Lion, the final date letter of the Roman alphabet clearly shown as L, so MDL or 1550. Counterstamped between 1oth October 1560 and 8th November 1560 with a Portcullis to signify a revaluation to fourpence-halfpenny. Spink 2546. The question of recoining the large amount of debased currency in circulation in the first two years of Elizabeth’s reign led a committee of the Privy Council to recommend the city of London provide magistrates to check the coin in circulation in market places, and to stamp Edward VI shillings of 8:2 and 6:2 fineness with a portcullis, enabling them to be current for fourpence-halfpenny, and those of 3:2 fineness with a greyhound, thus current for twopence-farthing. The stamping began on 10 October 1560 (i.e. almost at the end of the lis-marked first coinage, which ceased on 8 November 1560) and was undertaken country-wide, with the die-sinker John Lawrence providing sufficient punches to the corporations of 42 towns. These counterstamped coins were allowed to circulate only until the early Spring of 1561. Old auction cutting here. Let's be honest, this is an ugly coin, but you must remember that the entire point of this 1560 counterstamping exercise was to target worn and damaged Edward VI coinage with the ultimate aim of removing this troublesome coin from circulation, so only the "bad" ones were ever counterstamped - you're never going to see a "good" one. Aesthetics aside, this is an excessively rare, numismatically important Elizabeth 1st coin, described by some as THE rarest of all the issues - the Greyhound c/s is rarer and the undated sixpences are rarer still, in my opinion, but never-the-less I'm sure you get the point. The Bishopsteignton (Devon) example sold September 2020 through Spink for just a smidgeon under £10,000 after commissions. The Walter Wilkinson example - so poor that at auction it received a grade of "mediocre" - was estimated at between £4,000 and £5,000 but because there was so much Elizabeth 1st material released onto the market that day courtesy of that superb and enormous collection, it only sold for £2,600 after commission in 2020. I'm aware of only one other for sale and that's just under £5,000. Ignore this and you'll probably never see another come up! £2,995 RESERVED (M.He.21-5-24 LayAway)

Groats

WTH-6798: Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Groat. Initial mark Lis, rarer first issue. Spink 2551A. These bust 1G first issue hammered groats were only struck for a very few months – Spring 1560 to 8^th November 1560. This is a really interesting and somewhat rare coin as both the obverse and reverse dies were literally the much smaller first issue halfgroat dies. £245

WTH-6723: Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Groat. Initial mark Lis, rarer first issue. Spink 2551A. These bust 1G first issue hammered groats were only struck for a very few months – Spring 1560 to 8^th November 1560. This is a really interesting and somewhat rare coin as both the obverse and reverse dies were literally the much smaller first issue halfgroat dies. £225

WTH-6572: Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Groat. Initial mark Martlet, bust 1F, second issue, Spink 2556. Second issue Martlet hammered groats were only struck for a total of 10 months (9^th December 1560 to 24^th October 1561) – interestingly, the Martlets and Cross Crosslets were the last hammered groats issued under her reign, even though Elizabeth reigned for a further 40+ years. £255

WTH-7904: Elizabeth 1st Early Hammered Silver Groat or Fourpence. Initial mark Martlet, bust 1F, second issue, Spink 2556. Second issue Martlet hammered groats were only struck for a total of 10 months (9^th December 1560 to 24^th October 1561) – interestingly, the Martlets and Cross Crosslets were the last hammered groats issued under her reign, even though Elizabeth reigned for a further 40+ years. This is a beautiful coin, being excellent grade, centrally struck, attractively toned, etc etc. £475

Threepences

WTH-7300: 1561 Elizabeth 1st Rare Large Flan Hammered Silver Threepence. Third and Fourth Issues of 1561-77, rose behind Queen, reverse dated. Large 15mm flan (in fact, this one is nearer to 16mm), Spink 2564. Creased and straightened, with some resultant cracking, as so many of these newly introduced issues were – the public were still on hightened alert for fakes after the numismatic escapades of Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, and her bother, Edward VI, although to be fair, the early issues of Edward VI, extremely debased as they were, had very little to do with the Edward. It is unusual to see dated threepences for the 1560’s but they obviously do exist. 1561 was something of a prolific year for threepences BUT, this very first issue of 1561, in fact the very first Elizabeth 1^st threepence issued), with it’s large flan, is represented by a single die only. Brown, Comber & Wilkinson postulate that this large flan threepence was a two month trial period of experimentation. The start date of production was 26^th October 1561 and the end date – the date where they decided to change to the smaller flans, was December 1561 or early January 1562. A rare and important coin. £345

WTH-6904: 1561 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Dated Threepence. Third & fourth issues, Spink 2565. Initial mark pheon – only in use from 26th October 1561 (to 30th Sept 1565) and is rarely seen on this denomination with this initial mark. The very first dated threepence issued under Elizabeth 1^st. £165

WTH-7608: 156Z/1 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Threepence. Third & fourth issues, initial mark Pheon, Spink 2565. An interesting die. You might be thinking this was an error (a Z for a 2) but you’d be wrong. 1561 was a huge year for sixpence output as well as threepences, but not on the same scale. Like the sixpences, some of the 61 dies that hadn’t broken were recycled, along with the unused 1561 “reserve” dies. They decided a Z made a better number 2 – there were no 1562/1 threepences and indeed, there was even a straight 156Z issued when they’d recycled all the old 1561 dies. It was midway through 1562 that the decision was taken to change the Z for a proper 2. This Z for 2 was actually nothing new as the earlier Edward VI crowns also used a Z for a 2. Sold with an old ticket that (incorrectly) states 156Z/2. A nice grade coin. £135

WTH-7312: 1563 over 2 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Threepence. Third & fourth issues, initial mark Pheon, Spink 2565. Just like the sixpence, 1563 is one of the rarest dates in the entire series. There are only x2 dies recorded by Brown, Comber & Wilkinson (2006) for 1563 and further, only one of those is this overdate. Ex Dupree (a well respected collection) and ex Capozollo. A rare coin. £245

WTH-6791: 1564 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Threepence. Initial mark Pheon / Broad Arrow. Third and fourth issues, Spink 2565. A rarer date. £95

WTH-7287: 1566 Rare Date Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Tudor Threepence. Initial mark Portcullis. Third and fourth issues, smaller flan, regular bust, Spink 2565. Not so rare in sixpences but when you consider that there were only TWO 1566 threepence dies in use, with NO overdates (2006 data), it’s rare in threepences. A general rule of thumb you may wish to note is that 1560’s Elizabeth 1^st coins, bar sixpences, are rarer. This date is an extremely rare year. Excellent grade - much better in the hand than the images suggest, hence the extra cheap camera phone image I’ve included. £265

WTH-5797: 1567 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Threepence. Initial mark Coronet. A rarer pre 1570’s date. Spink 2566. £155

WTH-7418: 1568 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Threepence in Higher Grade. Third and fourth issues (although Wilkinson, Comber & Brown go further by designated this as Third Coinage only), initial mark Coronet. Spink 2566. I’ve been asked several times about the odd looking 8 in 1568 coinage. It looks for all it’s worth to be an 8 over 7, but in fact they are all straight 68 dates unless you can see the ghosting of the angled diagonal of the 7 under the 8. The die sinkers simply gave the 8 a flat top. This coin benefits from yet another unusual feather in that the bottom circle of the 8 is broken! There is a rarer variety where the flat top of the 8 is on the bottom, ie an inverted 8 but interestingly, this coin is actually rarer than the inverted 8 3d types! 1568 threepences utilised only three dies – 68/7 (the 8 being inverted), 68 (the 8 being inverted), and a 1568 with “normal” flat topped 8, meaning the flat topped 8 1568 threepence is rarer by 2:1. An interesting coin and much, much better grade than normally seen. £225

WTH-7088: 1570 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Threepence. Initial mark Castle, third and fourth issues, Spink 2566. Ex Eccles collection. £95

WTH-7377: 1571 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Threepence. Third and fourth issues, initial mark Castle. Spink 2566. A very pleasing example. £185

WTH-7417: 1572 (2 over inverted 2) Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Threepence. Third and fourth issues (although Wilkinson, Comber & Brown go further by designated this as Third Coinage only), initial mark Ermine. Spink 2566. A really interesting die sinker’s error where the final 2 of the date was originally inverted or upside down. Quality control picked up on this (ie someone happened to notice it!) and so rather than start a new die from scratch, they simply put a correctly orientated 2 over the top of the error. This is a single die (you’ll be pleased to hear the mistake was not repeated!) and can be chronologically attributed to the very first issue of 1572, ie 19^th April onwards. £185

WTH-6669: 1573 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Threepence. Initial mark Acorn. Third and fourth issues, Spink 2566. Acorn was only used for 6 months in total (1st November 1573 - 25th May 1574) so this year and initial mark combination were only in operation for x2 months. It is a rare initial mark but coupled with this date, it is rarer still. £115

WTH-6649: 1574 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Threepence. Initial mark Eglantine. Third and fourth issues, Spink 2566. Very nice grade. £139

WTH-7301: 1575/4 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Threepence. Third and fourth issue, initial mark Eglantine, ear showing. Spink 2566. A very nice grade coin but perhaps of more interest is the overdate: 1575/4. Brown, Comber & Wilkinson published that only a single recorded 75/4 die was known in 2006. In the intervening years, more examples have been unearthed resulting in x3 dies now being known and a miniscule 9 recorded examples of this overdate only. For those interested, Eglantine spanned 29^th May 1574 to 13^th July 1578 so it is clear to see what happened – as the year turned to 1575, the 74 Eglantine dies were still good enough to use, thus initial mark Eglantine was able to remain and a simple date adjustment to the die (although if that’s all they had to do, you have to question the skill of the die sinker based on the result!) sufficed. £175

WTH-7249: 1575 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Threepence. Initial mark Eglantine, third & fourth issues, regular bust, Spink 2566. This particular initial mark was relatively long-lived, being introduced 29^th May 1574 and shelved 13^th July 1578. However, 1575 dated coins are represented by a single die only. This is most surprising until we realise that there were actually plenty of 1575 dies sunk, but they were not used in 1575. There is a 1575/4, which I only mention for context. The bulk of the 1575 unused reverse dies were: 1576/5, 1577/5, 1577/6/5, 1578/7/5. An unusually high grade example and a rare date / im combination. Rare on both counts. £235

WTH-7389: 1576/5 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Tudor Threepence. Initial mark Eglantine, third & fourth issues. Spink 2566. A rarer year with only one straight 76 die and this modified 76 over 75 die according to Brown, Comber & Wilkinson. £165

WTH-7378: 1579 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Threepence. Fifth issue, initial mark Greek Cross. Spink 2573. Just the single die pairing being recorded by Comber, Wilkinson & Brown, although there was another pair prepared which were not used in 1579 but were overdated and used in 1580. This coin is not far off being as struck, although the obverse strike quality could have been better. £195

Halfgroats

WTH-7573: 1560-61 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Halfgroat. Initial mark Martlet, second issue, Spink 2557. Collectors will be aware that of all the smaller denominations, the halfgroats suffered most in terms of clipping, wear and sometimes the quality of actual coinage leaving the mint. Finding a really nice halfgroat is virtually impossible whereas pennies, and even the fractions, are relatively abundant. Sold with collector’s cabinet ticket together with an information printout. £155

WTH-7313: 1584-86 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Halfgroat. Sixth issue, initial mark Escallop, Spink 2579. Collectors will be aware that of all the smaller denominations, the halfgroats suffered most in terms of clipping, wear and sometimes the quality of actual coinage leaving the mint. Finding a really nice halfgroat is virtually impossible whereas pennies, and even the fractions, are relatively abundant. £175

WTH-6704: Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Halfgroat. Initial mark 1, penultimate coinage of the seventh issue, 29^th July 1601 – 14th May 1602. Spink 2586. Full flan, clear legends, and very nice grade. The obverse is double struck on the bust. £65

WTH-7488: 1601 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Halfgroat. Seventh issue, initial mark 1. Spink 2586. Nice grade and sold with a detailed annotated coin envelope. £125

WTH-7646: Elizabeth 1st Tudor Hammered Silver Halfgroat. Seventh and final issue with initial mark 1 so 1601. Further image here. London mint, Spink 2579. Ex Shaun Aldom collection. £185

WTH-8029: 1560-61 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Halfgroat. Initial mark Martlet, second issue, Spink 2557. Collectors will be aware that of all the smaller denominations, the halfgroats suffered most in terms of clipping, wear and sometimes the quality of actual coinage leaving the mint. Finding a really nice halfgroat is virtually impossible whereas pennies, and even the fractions, are relatively abundant. A really nice example that evaded the best efforts of the Tudor and Stuart clippers! £185

Three Halfpence

WTH-6970: 1561 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Three Halfpence. Initial mark Pheon –Spink 2569. 1561, although third and fourth issue, is the very first date ever for this rarer denomination. £135

WTH-6643: 1573 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Three Halfpence – a very rare x2 month only issue. Initial mark Acorn – commenced operation on 1st November 1573 so very late on in 1573. Spink 2569. An uncommon denomination with a very rare date / initial mark combination. £185

WTH-6825: 1575 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Three Halfpence. Initial mark eglantine. Spink 2569. A relatively high grade example of a dated, less common denomination Elizabeth 1^st silver coin. Reported to be part of an old hoard – I only managed to buy a couple of the coins, the other being a 1561 three halfpence which is now sold. £185

Pennies

WTH-7360: Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Penny. Third & fourth issue, initial mark Crescent, 1587-89. Spink 2580. Ex Dr E. Burstall collection. £69

Three Farthings

WTH-7332: 1561 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Three Farthings. The three farthings – a bizarre dated fractional denomination – started in 1561 and ended in 1582 (with just x15 dates used), never to see the numismatic light of day again. Interestingly, the Elizabethan public would not have been as flabbergasted at the introduction of this odd coin as perhaps we are: Irish base coinage was circulating at this time in England at 25% face value and the earlier English base issue halfgroats were officially reduced in September 1560 as, wait for it… three farthings. The public of the day were well aware of this required fractional calculation. Only three different dies recorded for this date. Initial mark Pheon, which didn’t even start production until the end of the year in 26^th October 1561!! This coin ex Dr Tony Abramson (he paid £85 in 1989), ex Leeds Museum Winter 1994/5 display and ex Spink, the latter having been tasked with dispersing the Abrahamson collection in 2021. Tickets here. Spink 2571. A most interesting coin. £265

WTH-7432: 1562 Elizabeth I Hammered Silver Three Farthings. Initial mark pheon, third and fourth coinage. Spink 2571. A very rare date for this denomination as for the straight 2, there was only the single die in use at the tail end of the year (prior to this they were using recycled 1561 dies, ie 1562/1). It got so little usage in 1562 that in was recycled in 1564 (there was no issue of this denomination in 1563) as a 1564/2. The three farthings wasn’t even worth a penny and yet they went to a great deal of effort to create the dies for this unlikely fractional unit, incorporating a date and really working on sinking dies on an almost microscopic level, especially when you consider they only had daylight or candlelight and with little of today’s magnification techniques. Die sinkers in particular often lost their eyesight in later life, and of course, “later life” in Tudor times was probably around 40 or younger! The three farthings – a bizarre dated fractional denomination – started in 1561 and ended in 1582 (with just x15 dates used), never to see the numismatic light of day again. Interestingly, the Elizabethan public would not have been as flabbergasted at the introduction of this odd coin as perhaps we are: Irish base coinage was circulating at this time in England at 25% face value and the earlier English base issue halfgroats were officially reduced in September 1560 as, wait for it… three farthings. The public of the day were well aware of this required fractional calculation. An iconic denomination, unique to Elizabeth 1^st, £265

WTH-7434: 1575 over 5 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Three Farthings. Initial mark eglantine, third and fourth coinage. Spink 2571. Rare over-date, completely unrecorded by Comber, Wilkinson. 1575 was a single die year with the same die in use in the following year as a modified / recycled 1576/5, thus showing that very few 1575 three halfpence were struck, and a further two 1575 dies, which were prepared but never used in that year, used in 1578 (1578/5), 1579 (1579/5) and 1581 (1581/75). The three farthings wasn’t even worth a penny and yet they went to a great deal of effort to create the dies for this unlikely fractional unit, incorporating a date and really working on sinking dies on an almost microscopic level, especially when you consider they only had daylight or candlelight and with little of today’s magnification techniques. Die sinkers in particular often lost their eyesight in later life, and of course, “later life” in Tudor times was probably around 40 or younger! The three farthings – a bizarre dated fractional denomination – started in 1561 and ended in 1582 (with just x15 dates used), never to see the numismatic light of day again. Interestingly, the Elizabethan public would not have been as flabbergasted at the introduction of this odd coin as perhaps we are: Irish base coinage was circulating at this time in England at 25% face value and the earlier English base issue halfgroats were officially reduced in September 1560 as, wait for it… three farthings. The public of the day were well aware of this required fractional calculation. An iconic denomination, unique to Elizabeth 1^st. £295

Halfpennies

WTH-7497: 1587-89 Elizabeth 1st Milled Silver Halfpenny. Sixth issue, initial mark Crescent. Spink 2581. Ex David Rogers’ collection. I had a similar coin from the famous Chris Comber collection and on his ticket, he had Crescent down as a “Rare Mark”. For those collectors interested in marrying up coins with historical events, 1588 is the date of the Spanish Armada. £145

WTH-7913: 1602 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Portcullis Halfpenny. Initial mark 2, seventh issue, Spink 2588.  It is interesting to note that the halfpenny was a late addition to the varied Elizabethan portfolio of denominations, being introduced post 1582 in the sixth coinage. Only a single pair of dies was used throughout the reign, and indeed the same die pair was used very early on under James 1st. During 1601, the obverse die became damaged and was repaired. All subsequent coins show the repair (left hand side of the portcullis - no bolt connecting the third horizontal bar to the second vertical bar), including the James 1st issue. This coin has no such repair and so is one of those very interesting contemporary counterfeits. These are superbly done but to be fair, it was the easiest coin to copy. Ex Chris Comber collection. What a coin! £195

WTH-7951: Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Portcullis Halfpenny. Sixth issue, Tower (London) mint, initial mark A, 1582-84, Spink 2581. A tiny Tudor coin, although not the tiniest, being extremely well struck and in very good grade. Ex Mike Vosper ticket with an anomalous description but the correct Spink number, conceivably indicating a ticket dated to before Spink changed the issue groupings around. £155

WTH-8114: Elizabeth 1st Tudor Hammered Silver Portcullis Halfpenny. Initial mark Key, sixth issue, 1595-8, Tower mint, Spink 2581. A tiny coin but not the tiniest - that honour goes to a farthing issued by Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII. I have one in stock which will find its way onto this sight soon. £95

“Other”

WTH-7390: Elizabeth 1^st Queen Under Canopy Copper Jetton or Medalet. Struck under the reign of King James 1^st, 1610-15, by Hans Krauwinkel at Nuremberg. All “monarch under canopy” jettons are rare. Ex Porter (1994), ex Walter Wilkinson. £145

WTH-7601: 1589 Elizabeth 1st Jetton – The Defeat of the Spanish Armada. This event is iconic in the annals of Tudor history. Obviously this happened in 1588 but design, production and distribution takes time. MI 153/128, Eimer 63, Van Loom 388/2. Well toned and perhaps somewhat harshly graded at GVF. Ex Baldwin’s. £345 RESERVED (M.H.14-11-22 Lay-Away)

WTH-9028: 1586 Medal Beseeching Help From Elizabeth 1st. A dated Jetton or Medalet from the Low Countries imploring Elizabeth 1st step in and help with the trouble Belgium was having with Portugal. As ever with these pieces, symbolism abounds: two handcuffed (Belgian) hands reaching for the compassionate heart of Elizabeth 1st and England. MI(i)134/89. Sold with an old Netherlands' ticket. The first example of this medalet I've seen. £175